FEATURE COVER STORY
Persuasion Magic:
Applying Mentalist
Oz Pearlman’ s
Methods to MSP Sales
Use powerful persuasion and audiencereading techniques to capture attention, overcome objections, and close more deals with confidence.
BY CINDY PANETTI CYR
What do managed service providers and mentalists have in common? The same techniques that work to win over and delight an audience can work to win over a prospect and close deals more effectively.
Oz Pearlman, a mentalist who came to fame in 2015 on the TV show America’ s Got Talent( AGT), recently performed and spoke about his methods at a peer group meeting for TMT’ s highest level of membership. Since winning third place on AGT, Pearlman has appeared on NBC’ s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, The TODAY Show, and ABC World News and has been profiled in Forbes and The New York Times.
At the peer event, Pearlman put on a masterclass in influence, persuasion, and the subtle art of reading people that every MSP can apply to transform their sales presentations.
The Opening Hook Technique
Pearlman opened his performance by promising to“ blow your mind.” Demonstrating the distinction between being impressive yet forgettable and being memorable, he introduced the same card trick two different ways.
The first introduction was ordinary and general:“ Choose a random card from an imaginary deck.” The second was exciting and specific:“ I want butterflies in your stomach, your favorite card, hold it high with pride!”
Despite correct guesses both times, the audience reacted differently: lukewarm vs. enthusiastic applause.“ You’ re not forgetting me. You’ re going to be talking about me for years,” Pearlman noted after the second version.
Similarly, MSPs need compelling opening statements that immediately capture attention. Kick off sales presentations or marketing emails with an opening statement that’ s bold, memorable, and impossible to ignore. For example:“ In just 30 minutes, you’ ll discover how to eliminate 90 % of your IT headaches and cut costs by 25 %, without compromising performance.” A line like this doesn’ t just make prospects lean in; it compels them to sit up, take notice, and start anticipating results.
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